Pennsylvania Educator Certification Tests (PECT) Practice Exam

What is the purpose of a periodical index?

1. To summarize the main arguments of a paper

2. To provide access to periodical articles by subject or author

3. To list all types of publications available in a library

4. To store articles permanently for future reference

The correct answer is: To provide access to periodical articles by subject or author

The purpose of a periodical index is to provide access to periodical articles by subject or author. This resource is essential for researchers, students, and educators as it allows them to locate specific articles within a range of academic journals and magazines efficiently. By organizing articles according to their themes or by the authors’ names, periodical indexes enable users to find relevant information quickly, which is especially important in academic settings where literature reviews and research require comprehensive knowledge of existing sources. While summarizing main arguments of papers can be valuable, this function is typically associated with abstracts or reviews rather than an index. Similarly, while some catalogs may list various publications in a library, this is not the primary function of a periodical index. Lastly, periodicals are generally not stored permanently for future reference through an index, as indexes serve instead to guide users to the articles held in various publications rather than providing the articles themselves.